Looking Up: Lots to see in partly cloudy skies

Friday

Mar 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMMar 30, 2012 at 7:13 AM

The dynamics of the solar system continues to play out under the evening sky. Backyard exploration of stars and galaxies has had to wait at least a first admiring glance at the celestial events much closer to home. Even a few passing clouds did not hurt.

Peter Becker

The dynamics of the solar system continues to play out under the evening sky. Backyard exploration of stars and galaxies has had to wait at least a first admiring glance at the celestial events much closer to home. Even a few passing clouds did not hurt.

Has anyone with the gift of sight missed the wonder in the west? It is a rare occurrence to have the Universe so vivid that even city dwellers living under smog saturated with neon glow, cannot but see the greater cosmos beyond.

Although Venus and Jupiter are now widely separated, these planetary beacons continue to dominate the western view every evening. Ruddy Mars still shines bright high in the east as darkness descends and the stars come out. Then comes our own natural satellite, the moon. This past week, the crescent moon passed close by Venus, making a dramatic triangle with Jupiter further down.

On Monday night, March 26, the Pleiades star cluster glittered just above the close pairing of Venus and the Moon. The cluster was a bit difficult to make out with the moonlight but added to the grand scheme once you detected it.

Tuesday night, as seen from my locale, there were passing clouds. Usually considered the spoiler of being able to see the stars - along with the vexation of light pollution - partial cloudiness can add to the beauty.

Breaks in the clouds moved fairly quickly, giving a sense of high wind speeds high up. The clouds were delicately illuminated by various degrees of shading, from the luminous crescent moon. The glow on the clouds will only increase this week should they be present in your sky, as the moon heads for full phase on April 6.

Unless the clouds are very thick, you often see the moon right through the cloud layer. Through even a small telescope you get a sense of three dimensions as wisps of clouds skirt by the cratered moon. Adding to the depth of understanding, witness any background stars around the moon.

If the moon is nearly full, you may not see any stars close by in a telescope, given the overwhelming moonlight. If there are any stars, take careful watch if there is a star very near the lunar edge. If it is on the side the moon is advancing in orbit (this is always towards the east), you can watch the star “blink out.” This is easier to detect before the moon is full. The advancing edge is then still shaded, and the moon’s glow less likely to wash out the star. Note that if the moon had an atmosphere, you would see the star fade slowly; instead, its magnitude remains steady as it is eclipsed (actually, the term is “occulted” when referring to the moon covering up stars).

If you have a cloudy night with breaks here and there, also look for stars peeking through here and there. This can be a worthwhile game to see how well you know the sky and the constellations. See if you recognize that solitary star or couple stars appearing in the cloud break, and watch as other stars nearby show up as the winds move the break. It is not unlike the Jeopardy game, guessing a word by certain letters. You can guess the constellation by certain stars revealed at a time.

Also look for lunar halos, great rings around the moon caused by ice crystals in high clouds.

Don’t even let the day time stop you. The moon is easily visible in the blue sky of daylight, and if you know exactly where to look, this is a good time to find brilliant Venus in the day. Search with binoculars first; the planet is about 45 degrees east of the sun. This is easier when the sun is low; keep the sun behind a building. By seeing where it is during twilight, you can get a sense of where to find it higher up, the next afternoon.

Whether crystal clear or partly cloudy, the glory of the night sky beckons us to look up beyond ourselves.

Please send notes to news@neagle.com and let me know where you read this column.

Keep looking up!

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.